While I will write a proper review of this book
below, I’m hard pressed to improve on the official description of this book
which really does tell you all you need to know:

“From
first timers to hard core lovers, this collection of five BDSM themed short
stories by Sean Michael has something for everyone who loves hot m/m action and
a great love story.”

‘Yes, Master’ is a collection of five short
stories all of which deal with BDSM in some shape or form; from barely there
D/s (Finding
Kasey) to all out possession (Following My Heart) and everything
in between. We are treated to bratty, provocative subs (Playing for Keeps), a
dream come true for two men who have been friends for years (The
Twelve Kinks of Christmas) as well as a supernatural encounter between
a demon and the two men who struck a deal with him (Payday).

All five stories are hot, and very descriptive
when it comes to the sexual action between the men involved. Yet all five
stories at the same time ooze love, commitment as well as fun. I was squirming
while reading these stories, found myself smiling at the interactions between
the characters and got mildly emotional at the obvious love (either well
established, recently discovered just a possibility).

If I had to pick favourites between these five
stories my choice would be ‘The Twelve Kings of Christmas’ –
just for the idea behind the story and the sheer delight the characters
experience when they discover their mutual attraction - and ‘Following My Heart’ – for
the heady combination of fear and need. And if there was one story that
did less for me than the others it was ‘Payday’. Having said that, there was
so little to separate these stories when it came to the enjoyment they gave me
that I decided not to review and rate them individually – as I have been known
to do with collections like this – and instead treat the book as one whole.

I am kind of impressed with these stories. None of
them are very long yet all of them managed to give me a clear impression of the
characters as well as a good idea of the situation they find themselves in and
their feelings. While all of these stories focus on the sexual aspect of the
relationships between these men there is never any doubt that the story is
about more than just the physical attraction between them. What impressed me
most is the fact that while I would have loved to read more about most if not
all characters and relationships in this collection I didn’t feel that I had
missed out on anything when the story ended. These are self-contained stories
with a beginning, middle and end. At no point did I have the feeling that I was
missing information or that the story had been rushed. Since these are my pet
peeves when it comes to shorter fiction I was very pleasantly surprised.

I read one previous book by Sean Michael and wasn’t
as impressed with that book as I was with this collection. I’m so glad I didn’t
allow that earlier experience to put me off reading more by this author. I
would not have wanted to miss out on this book and look forward to reading more
by Sean Michael in the not too distant future.

Declan
Cleary's body has never been found, but everyone believes he was killed for
informing on a friend over thirty years ago.

Now the Commission for Location of Victims'
Remains is following a tip-off that he was buried on the small isle of Islandmore,
in the middle of the River Foyle. Instead, the dig uncovers a baby's skeleton,
and it doesn't look like death by natural causes. But evidence revealed by the
Commission's activities cannot lead to prosecution.

Inspector Devlin is torn. He has no desire to
resurrect the violent divisions of the recent past. Neither can he let a
suspected murderer go unpunished. Now the secret is out, more deaths follow.
Devlin must trust his conscience - even when that puts those closest to him at
terrible risk.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

My thoughts:

The disappeared:

“Individuals who, during the early days of the
Troubles in the North, had been targeted because of some slight, imagined or
actual, against the local IRA commanders.”

This book is the fifth title in a series in
which I haven’t read any of the previous stories. Although I didn’t feel that
affected the way I experienced this book it is of course possible that my
review would have been slightly different if I had read the book after the
previous four.

This book has a lot going on between its
covers. Inspector Devlin is overseeing a search for one of the disappeared when
the body of a baby is found. Not only does the baby show signs of having been
born with birth-defects, it is also clear she was murdered. The death of an
innocent baby, even if it happened decades ago, is not something Devlin can
ignore even if he does know that he can’t officially investigate the dead nor
use anything he discovers in a prosecution.

Things get more complicated when the son of the
‘disappeared’ man they are searching for is murdered. The waters are muddied
even further when a second man is found dead.

When several other babies are found buried, all
with similar birth defects, the case reaches a new level of frustration for
Devlin. He can’t help feeling that the man who was ‘disappeared’ decades ago,
the babies and the recent murders are all connected in some way. But with the
law as it stands, he is officially not allowed to investigate anything except
the recent murders.

When everything is eventually revealed it does
provide answers, but whether or not justice has been served is anybody’s guess.

It is clear from my description there is a lot
going on in this book. The disappeared, unbaptised babies, a crying
baby that doesn’t appear to exist, ‘normal’, present day murders, ghost estates, cross-border
jurisdiction, and private issues in the Devlin household all add to the story
in what, occasionally, seemed to be almost an overload of story-line. Having
said that, I was impressed with the way in which the author managed to pull all
those, apparently separate, issues together in what was a well plotted although
not entirely satisfactory conclusion. I would love to say more about this and
explain why I found the ending less than satisfactory but can’t do so without
spoiling the story. All I say is that it had nothing to do with the writing or
the plotting, and shouldn’t be a reason for anyone to not pick up the book.

This
book did make me think though. I’ve
been aware of the disappeared and the efforts to find them for as long as I’ve
been living in Ireland. I have to admit though, that I hadn’t really given it
any thought before reading this book. It is one hell of a dilemma. Of course
everybody wants to find those who disappeared without a trace decades ago, if
only so that their families at last have certainty and the opportunity to bury
their dead. On the other hand, the price for that scant comfort – no
investigation and no prosecution – seems incredibly high. Just as the fact that
those who committed those murders are getting off without any punishment just
feels wrong and very far removed from anything justice is supposed to be.

Overall I would call this a good mystery,
filled with realistic characters and more than enough issues to ensure the
discussion my reading group will be having next week should be lively.

“After driving James Harcourt, his wealthy
banker boss, around for a year and a half, Cal isn’t surprised by much anymore.
Not even James’s regular trips to Market Garden, London’s most elite gay
brothel.

But when James
leaves the Garden alone one night and turns to Cal instead, Cal’s floored.
After crushing on his boss for ages, it’s his wet dream come true . . . until
the awkward morning after. Cal still has a job to do, but he wants to offer
more. Yet James doesn’t take him up on it; he keeps Cal at arm’s length and
continues his chauffeured jaunts to Market Garden.

As Cal learns what
James needs from the rentboys, he tries to fill that need himself. But there’s
more to James’s penchant for rentboys than Cal realizes, and it may be one role
that Cal can’t fill without overstepping his duty.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------

“Very
much a Been There, Done it and Got the Whip Coordination to Prove it kind of
vibe.”

Cal
has been working as James Harcourt’s private driver for 18 months and in most
ways it is a job that suits him perfectly. It pays well, comes with housing and
leaves him plenty of time for his writing. The only problem Cal faces is that
he’s developed feelings for his employer, feelings he could never admit to or
act upon. Instead he has to deal with James’ regular visits to the ‘Market
Garden’ where the man picks up rentboys to fulfil whatever his needs may be at
home.

When
a visit to the ‘Market Garden’ ends with James leaving alone, Cal is surprised.
When James subsequently invites him into his house and his bed Cal is delighted
and worried in same measure. Spending the night with the man who has the centre
of all his fantasies is a dream come true. But the morning after is a
nightmare. And although Cal would happily build on his one night with James it
isn’t long before the visits to the ‘Market Garden’ resume, leaving Cal hurt
and confused.

Convinced
that James needs something more than he is able to provide, Cal is determined
to find out what that something is and learn whatever it takes in order to
provide it.

And
while James seems to relish the new and improved Cal, something still isn’t
right. James keeps his distance and Cal doesn’t know what else to and has to
consider that maybe what James needs is more than Cal could ever be.

To
say I enjoyed this book would be a gross understatement. Cal and James captured
my attention on the first page and refused to let me go until I had read the
subsequent 220 pages. I laughed, smiled, frowned and felt my eyes tear up once
or twice and enjoyed every single minute of it.

It
was impossible to not fall in love with Cal while reading this book. The
lengths he’s prepared to go to in order to find out whether or not he can ever
be what James needs are breathtaking. Through it all, no matter how heartbroken
he is Cam, can’t stop caring for James, wanting to make sure the man is alright
even though he knows he should probably forget about him for his own sanity.

L.A.
Witt and Aleksandr Voinov make it look deceptively easy. Their words flow
smoothly, their characters sparkle, the dialogue sounds just right and story
seems to tell itself. This book is such a compulsive read that it is tempting
to call it an easy story. It was only after I finished the book and reflected
on what I had read that it struck me how talented a writer(s) it would take to
create a work this compelling. I dare anyone to start this book and not get so
engrossed that it is all but impossible to put it down before you’ve reached
the end and have found out exactly what happens.

Since
I was late to the party as far as ‘The Market Garden’ series is
concerned and have been reading titles as they were released I’m left stuck with
a wonderful prospect; I may be up to date as far as new releases are concerned,
there still are four titles I haven’t read yet. After reading ‘If it
Drives’ and getting a glimpse of Nick, I think I’ll have to go back and
read his story next. ‘If it Flies’ and ‘If it
Fornicates’ here I come.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

“Andy Finnegan is a six foot three
brown-haired, blue-eyed, Mack f*cking truck. A former marine who spends his
nights dancing for your entertainment, he has a dark side hiding beneath the
beautiful veneer.

Sweet little Stefan
is awestruck by the big, gorgeous dancer with the rock hard abs and the lonely
eyes. Determined to see what lurks behind the perfect surface, he gets a little
more than he bargained for.”

-------------------------------------------------------------

My thoughts:

They say size isn’t everything and this story
certainly confirms the truth in that statement. This may not be a very long
novella but it sure packs a punch. And the same can be said for our main
character.

Andy Finnegan is one angry and closed off hulk
of a man. Ever since he left the Marines, Andy has kept his distance from
others. He keeps his body in shape and does his job as a dancer in a gay club.
Any hook up with another man is short, a one-off and completely on his terms.
Determined to never be vulnerable again, Andy has his future planned. He wants
to become a porn star. It’s the easiest way to make the money he needs and have
the casual sexual encounters he craves. Tonight is the night. A porn producer
will be in the club to watch him dance. If Andy plays his cards right, he might
end up with exactly what he wants.

Two men seem determined to put a spanner in the
works. The first is a former Marine buddy who can’t believe Andy has ended up
where he did and offers him a ‘proper’ job. The other is a young man with dark
hair. A young man who reminds him of somebody he has lost. A young man named
Stefan who should be afraid of Andy and run away but does the opposite and
stays, even after the Marine has shown him his worst.

Like I stated above, this is one short but
powerful novella. When the story started I wasn’t sure I would be able to like
Andy or even connect to him as a character. He came across as selfish, rough
and mean. It is only as the story unfolds and we learn more about Andy, his
past and his present that my feelings towards him started changing. By the time
the story was over I had done a turn-around and developed a soft spot for this
man who had only done what he felt he needed to do in order to keep his
feelings locked up, deep inside, where he didn’t need to deal with them.

Stefan is just a sweetheart. Not nearly as well
developed as Andy’s character he does manage to play a pivotal role in this
story.

“How can you be so beautiful and hate yourself
so much?”

I have a thing about stories in which the
strong, seemingly untouchable man finds his redemption in the eyes and arms of
someone who appears to be much weaker but turns out to have the ability to see
beyond the obvious as well as the inner strength to persevere where stronger men would
crumble.

This was a well written, hot and ultimately
sweet story. It is also a clear indication that I’ve once again managed to find
myself an author I need to further investigate. I seriously need more hours in
my days.

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About Me

My name is Marleen. I'm Dutch but have been living in Ireland for well over 15 years now. I have a passion and love for reading and books. Since early 2008 I have been lucky enough to have been working part time in the library in Bailieborough, Co. Cavan where among other things I run the library reading group.
I will read almost anything that has words in it, and post my thoughts on everything I read in this blog:

Review Disclaimer

In this blog I write my thoughts on every book I read. Some I will have brought home from the library, some will have been bought while others will have been sent to me for review. I do not get paid for reading and reviewing any books and all opinions are mine and mine alone. Whether a book was borrowed, bought or received will be indicated at the top of every review.

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* Feel free to email me with an offer, but please have a look at my blog and the books I've read in the past first to check if your genre is one I'm likely to enjoy.

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